Christmas Countdown – Day Twenty One

Day twenty one of the Christmas Countdown…it’s the shortest day, and the longest night. A good time to be thinking about candles I think!

Last year for the Advent Calendar I made these tealight holders from an assortment of pretty jars I had collected …

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Twenty one

I would love to fill my mantelpiece with little houses…

Adorable Home

And maybe next Christmas I could do it with card (although I’d stock up with battery powered tealights first of course!) These look very simple to do…

Craft Ideas

…and there is a template…

Craft Ideas

And if all else fails you could raid the kitchen…

Domesticalia

tea lights in ladles - Christmas Countdown

Kick Can and Conkers

I’ve had my own lighting story yesterday. As we will be visiting the family for Christmas and won’t be here for the actual day I decided it would be a waste to buy a large tree this year, I would use the little one I had for the fair. It’s pot grown and a lovely shape, just very small.

I decorated it when I was full of cold and I admit my heart wasn’t in it. The old lights from the big tree looked ridiculous and every time I looked at it I cringed. It was all decided for me when the old lights died. I got up yesterday morning, removed all the decorations, headed to the nearest town where fairy lights were reduced and bought not just one, but two sets. The tree is now re-decorated and lit and the room has fairy lights all around it and I feel soooo much more festive!

All set for younger son and daughter plus their ‘significant others’ to join us this evening to celebrate the Winter Solstice and the drawing out of the days…

I’ll be back tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Twenty

Oooh, not long now! Day Twenty of the Christmas Countdown and there’s something else to hang on the tree, a paper songbird.

If you click on the image below you will find a link to the pattern for this little fellow, and of course, you can make him any colour you like!

Christmas tree decoration | bird | paper | music |

Planet Penny Advent Calendar 2012

This is an even simpler shape. No pattern, but it shows that it would be very easy to make your own individual pattern and then make a whole flock of little birds. Great fun for the children to decorate.

ebabee likes

These fringed and cut paper birds are effective. It would be nice to curl some of those feathers for an exotic effect.

Karin Lidbeck

I love this little birdy from Miss Clara, so many pretty things on her blog…

The Notebooks of Miss Clara

And finally… book art. Isn’t this stunning? I’m not suggesting you should try and knock up a table centre like this before the big day. Just make a cuppa, there’s another beautiful blog to look at!

My Modern Met

So I shall flutter off just now, and look forward to seeing you tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Nineteen

Looking back to last year’s Advent Calendar for today’s Christmas Countdown inspiration I find the ‘Bows’ tutorial.

I spent years fiddling with wonky bows until I figured this one out! It’s come in very useful for making Christmas decorations and if you spend a little time on a bow making session they are very useful as a quick decorative fix when present wrapping.

Planet Penny Bow Tutorial

I tend towards the country homespun look normally, but if you want something a little bit more fanciful and froufrou-ish this is a clever use of a fork…

Useful DIY

I really love this wreath, amazing how simple hessian can look so stylish…

angolodellamicizia.forumfree.it/

Combining unadorned pine cones with hessian tape bows and plain rope makes a garland which would look beautiful draped down a banister or across a mantelpiece.

home.made.

I’d better go and do some present wrapping and make a few more bows of my own!

See you tomorrow as we continue the Christmas Countdown!…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Eighteen

Good Morning! This is going to be quite a quick Christmas Countdown post because DH and I have recovered enough to tackle a trip to Norwich for the last of the Christmas shopping. Aftere that I can concentrate on the food aspect of the festivities…

Last year I made these little Spice Biscuits which were a great success and looked really pretty on the tree and wrapped up as gifts…

Spice Biscuit – Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Eighteen

If you are feeling very ambitious, how about some iced decorations?

Stina Saem

Buttercream and Chantilly Factory

Aren’t they gorgeous? Don’t think that’ll be happing on Planet Penny this year!

And finally, with no provenance, no recipe, just a fabulous picture on Pinterest…

I hope this has been inspiring…

See you tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Seventeen

I can’t believe we’re on Day Seventeen of the Christmas Countdown already, time is just flying by. Things are not progressing very fast here at the moment as we are beset by cold germs. It’s at this point I wish I was SO much more organised and didn’t have such a long ‘Last Minute List’

Ho-hum…maybe I’ll add that to the New Years Resolution List!

But back to Day Seventeen. Last year in the Advent Calendar it was all about mice and you’ll find quite a selection of them featured in this post.

Planet Penny Mini Mice – Etsy Pattern

But I’ve been having a scout round and it’s surprising how many mice you’ll find scampering about in cyberspace. These are Racing Walnut Mice! They sound lots of fun and an easy craft to do with the little ones, just click the image for the link as always…

Walnut Racing Mice Christmas Countdown Day 17

Oh Baby!

Here’s a dear little tree decoration with a jingly nose…

fabric mouse tree ornament - Christmas Countdown Day 17

Pimp Stitch

A couple of years ago I made this little group of needlefelt carol singing mice which I sold and then rather regretted losing them I must make some more just for me!

carol singing mice Christmas Countdown Day 17

Planet Penny

I love the little fabric mouse below from Lucy Kate, don’t you?

Lucy Kate Crafts

And finally, we have the mouse in our house who lives in the skirting board.

PAWS – Paper and Wire Sculptures

All right, I’ll admit it, it’s all pretend. Can you imagine Higgins tolerating that situation? It’s a little sticker from the very clever Sue McLearie which I secreted on to the skirting board. So far only one person has noticed it…

…but he doesn’t seem too bothered!

I hope you like this collection of Christmas Mice..

I’ll be back tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Sixteen

Day Sixteen of the Christmas Countdown and I’ve just found the paper decorations I made for last year’s Advent Calendar…

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Sixteen

The music sheets I made them from are photocopies from a music book I came by in a most puzzling way as I explained in last years post. Looking around on the web I found various other ideas using the musical theme which seems to chime in with Christmas very well…

Path Less Travelled Market

I used the paper heart garlands as part of the decorating for my son’s wedding last year, it’s a perennial motif, isn’t it? Suitable for all occasions!

The Path Less Travelled – Etsy

No instructions for this next one, but I think it would be simple enough to fiddle around with paper strips and work out a template…

Not On the High Street

The instructions for this lovely bauble are in Hungarian, but I’m sure Google will translate for you, and there are pictures too…

Kifli es Levendula

And finally there are these amazing trees which would look lovely on a mantelpiece with white fairy lights…

HGTV

I hope this has given you some musical inspiration…

I’ll be back tomorrow…x